a little light reading

​Need to replace the light bulbs in your recessed lighting cans? Here are some tips for getting the lights that will meet your needs:

Tip #1: Choosing Light Bulb Shape

Generally you’ll want to use PAR or BR shaped reflector bulbs for recessed lighting. Which one is right for you? Use PAR bulbs only if you goal is to highlight a specific area, since these bulbs produce more distinct boundaries to their light. BR bulbs produce more diffuse lighting, and are the best choice for general lighting.​

PAR Light Bulb

BR Light Bulb

​Tip #2: Choosing Light Bulb Size

Most household recessed cans are 4" or 6" wide. For general lighting, choose BR30 bulbs for 4" cans. And unless you want big gaps around the bulb, choose BR40 bulbs for 6" cans.

BR40 bulbs are a little wider than BR30s; they’re also a little longer. So if you find that they stick out too far from the can, you may be able to adjust the socket height to get the face of the bulb where you want it.​

​Tip #3: Choosing a Light Bulb Alternative

You don’t need bulbs at all if you opt for an LED downlight kit. These provide a light source and trim all in one. They're a little more expensive than bulbs, but they create a modern, flush look to your ceiling lights.​

​Tip #4: Choosing Lighting Technology

There are several lighting technologies you can choose from. The oldest bulbs are incandescent bulbs, including a special type of incandescent called halogen bulbs. These provide a warm looking light that many of us grew up with. But these bulbs are short lived and expensive to run compared to newer technology. So while you can still choose them, you may want to consider an upgrade.

The original lighting upgrade was CFL lighting, which gave us longer life and more efficient lighting when compared to incandescent bulbs. But there were drawbacks to these, and many people didn’t care for the quality of their light. So these are being abandoned by both consumers and manufacturers for LED technology.

LED bulbs offer almost all the benefits of incandescent lighting while providing far longer life and much greater efficiency. These bulbs cost about 1/6 as much as incandescents to operate, and they can last 20 years or more.

​The only remaining question with LED is the quality of the light. While they do render colors a little differently than incandescent bulbs, this can be better or worse depending on the bulb and on your preference. You can see here an example of colors rendered a little differently by LEDs and incandescent bulbs. We think the LED does a great job!​

​Tip #5: Choosing Color Temperature

Don’t get confused by the term temperature here – color temperature isn’t about the heat of a light, but about the LOOK of the light. Incandescent bulbs provide light at about 2700 kelvin, or 2700K. This is the warm appearance you may be familiar with.

LEDs can mimic this warm look if you buy one that’s labeled as 2700K, but they also give you the option of choosing cooler looking lighting, ranging as high as 6500K, which would have a slightly blue tint. Most households would only use color temperatures up to 5000K.

What color temperature is right for you? This is another matter of personal taste. You might want one color temperature throughout the house, or you might choose based on the mood you want in a room. Bedrooms and dining areas may call for warmer color temperatures with kitchens a little cooler and workshops and laundry rooms the coolest color temperatures of all.

But again, this comes down to the look you’re going for. You only have this choice with CFL or LED lighting, since incandescents only provide warm lighting.​

​Bonus Color Temperature Tip

Ready for a bonus tip on color temperatures? Some LED bulbs have a warm dimming technology, which makes them get a warmer color as they dim. This mimics the action of dimming incandescent bulbs, and is perfect for those areas where you really want a warm, cozy, and perhaps even romantic setting. Again, dining rooms and bedrooms may be wonderful settings for this technology.

We hope these tips help you to choose the perfect products for the recessed lighting cans in your home. As always, you can count on Lighting Supply to answer your questions and help place your orders by phone if you need a hand, or simply visit our website and find all these lights and many more. We’re here to help you light your world.

It's great that you've mentioned how PAR bulbs are used for highlighting a specific area, while BR bulbs produce more diffuse lighting and are the best choice for general lighting. My wife mentioned that she wants to get recessed lighting for our house and add appeal to it even in the night. I'll get in touch with an electrician right away so that we can be guided with choosing the right bulb as well as its installation.